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12:20 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013

Amid growing unrest, Russian music critic highlights potential of Pussy Riot protest

by The GW Hatchet

Music critic and Russian journalist Artemy Troitsky said  Pussy Riot – one of many groups rebelling against President Vladimir Putin’s rule through song – is paving the way for political progress. Photo used under the Creative Commons license.

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Nathaniel Erwin.

A professor from Moscow said his nation is facing a “cold civil war” between its government and restless citizens, who are building a culture of protest from the ground up.

Artemy Troitsky, also a music-focused journalist and broadcaster, said Tuesday at the Elliot School of International Affairs that the protest movement is driven by musicians, artists and poets.

Pussy Riot, a feminist punk-rock band, used songs to protest against a Russian government “violated by corruption,” he said. The group often performed in public squares to taunt law enforcement officers, until two of the female rockers were arrested for “hooliganism on grounds of religious hatred” last February, curtailing the movement’s momentum. They were imprisoned in August with two-year sentences.

“While we were having fun, nothing happened, except for bad things,” Troitsky said.

The band’s cause has resonated in the U.S., with musicians like Madonna, Sting and Yoko Ono calling the singers’ treatment undeserved.

Troitsky, who has taught music journalism, called the protests reminiscent of Soviet opposition during the 1980s, though these protests have yet to spark any reforms in the government.

A ban on the group’s videos, deemed extremist by government officials, was upheld last month.

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Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013 2:28 p.m.

Former C.I.A. officer hit with jail time for classified leak is double alumnus

by Cory Weinberg

The first C.I.A. agent to face jail time for leaking classified information earned two degrees from GW during the 1980s.

John C. Kiriakou, whose rise and fall as a C.I.A. operative is the subject of a sprawling front-page story in Sunday’s New York Times, graduated from the Elliott School of International Affairs with a degree in Middle East Studies in 1986.

He also completed his master’s degree in legislative affairs in 1988.

Kiriakou will begin his 30-month prison sentence later this month for emailing the name of a covert C.I.A. officer to a freelance reporter, violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act.

Kiriakou, 48, claimed he believed the covert officer had retired, and was no longer in the field. The report did not include the name of the officer.

He was charged last January and pleaded guilty in October.

The Pennsylvania native had become a media focus over the past five years as an outspoken critic of waterboarding after working at the C.I.A. from 1990 to 2004.

But his time at GW piqued his interest in foreign relations and national security.

“Discovering a passion for international affairs, he scrounged scholarships to go to George Washington University, where he was recruited by a professor, a former C.I.A. psychiatrist who spotted talent for the agency,” the article read.

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Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012 11:03 a.m.

Acclaimed economist sounds alarm on climate change

by The GW Hatchet
Jeffrey Sachs, Climate Change

Renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs called out politicians for punting the issue of climate change and sustainable development in a talk at the Elliott School of International Affairs Monday. Cameron Lancaster | Hatchet Photographer

This post was written by Hatchet reporter McKinley Kant.

Jeffrey Sachs, one of the world’s most influential economists, railed against international and U.S. leaders for failing to address climate change Monday at the Elliott School of International Affairs.

Sachs, director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute and a special United Nations adviser, contended that the issue of sustainable development is a crucial challenge that won’t go away, turning up the heat on President Barack Obama to create real change in his second term.

Remarking that it has been 20 years since the U.N.’s Rio Summit, which led to the Kyoto Protocol that the U.S.did not ratify, Sachs criticized the country for failing to take necessary action.

“The world’s most important country, the United States, has done almost nothing,” he said. “It needs to be more than a gimmick or a photo-op… Good governance entails planning. We’ve lost the art and belief in planning.”

Sachs, who has penned three New York Times bestsellers in the past decade, has spearheaded the sustainable development movement, which promotes preserving the environment while narrowing the poverty gap.

He criticized both presidential candidates for failing to mention climate change during the 2012 campaign, sounding the alarm on politicians punting the issue.

“It’s a problem that is slow-moving in our daily lives but a train wreck in the blink of an eye relative to human history,” he said. “The extent of environmental degradation is beyond our imaginations.”

He underscored that not only is the world’s population going to increase significantly, but that most of that population growth will take place in impoverished regions. There, ensuring healthy development of children and practicing sustainable farming will become even more necessary.

“The world has already become a world of extreme events,” he said as he pointed to an image of floodwaters in New York City caused by Hurricane Sandy in October. “The world is not in any way, shape, or form on a sustainable trajectory.”

 

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Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 10:04 a.m.

Global Women’s Institute lifts off, but sets sights higher

by The GW Hatchet
This post was written by Hatchet reporter Jasmine Baker. 
The Global Women’s Institute launched Tuesday with big ambitions for international partnerships and grant funding – but for now it’s starting small.

Mary Ellsberg, director of Global Women’s Institute, said the institute’s Tuesday launch would be the start of a research center with big ambitions to empower women. Photo courtesy of the Office of Media Relations

The University’s newest research center got off the ground with a 14-day series of events against gender violence, culminating in a launch event with big-name speakers like the White House advisor on violence against women. And director Mary Ellsberg said it wants to aim higher.

“We’ve got to go deep. We aren’t just going to have talks and activities on the yard,” Ellsberg, who was hired in May, said. “We really want to have partnerships with universities and groups all over the world, but right now we are starting at home.”

The institute is working as a three-person office without outside funds, usually a requirement for any research center to find success. Housed and funded by the Office of the Vice President for Research – not a specific school – Ellsberg said the institute will work across  fields like law, economics and public health. The center will also add a faculty member next year in the Elliott School of International Affairs.

The center has a partnership lined up with the White House to research where it should funnel foreign aid. It’s also looking to link up the World Health Organization and Central American universities for research, Ellsberg said.

Ellsberg, who was vice president for research and programs at the International Center for Research on Women before coming to GW, is also planning a trip to the United Nations to discuss women’s issues next spring.

She said she has found a unique springboard for women’s activism at GW, where “people are just really anxious to see how they can help and how they can get involved.”

“I’ve worked for the Swedish government, the Nicaraguan government and usually women’s issues are not something people want to talk about.  You spend a lot of time banging your head against the wall, trying to get people to listen to you and I’ve just had the opposite experience here,” she said.
The idea for the institute came after University President Steven Knapp prioritized two years ago women’s issues as a top field for GW research.

The organization is one of several to be launched over the next decade, according to a draft of the University’s strategic plan, which tentatively set aside $20 to $30 million for the GW-run think tanks.

Melissa Wong, co-president of the student organization GlobeMed, said the institute would enable students to get more involved in feminist activism.

“While the institute will hold fantastic events related to gender equality, it will also act as a powerful tool for faculty, students and administration to come together on global women’s issues,” she said.

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Friday, Nov. 9, 2012 10:43 a.m.

Afghan ambassador looks beyond decade-long war

by The GW Hatchet

Tayeb Jawad, who served as Afghan ambassador to the U.S. from 2003 to 2010, called for the country to develop its sense of self-reliance Thursday. Allie Schiffer | Hatchet Photographer

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Spogmay Ahmed.

A former Afghanistan ambassador stressed Thursday that the country needs to become more self-reliant before the exodus of U.S. troops after a decade-long war.

Tayeb Jawad, who served as the Afghan ambassador to the U.S. from 2003 to 2010, said at the Elliott School of International Affairs that the pressure is on for Afghans to prove their independence as 2014 brings the country’s presidential election and the bulk of the U.S. pullout.

In particular, when Afghans go to the polls that year, they will need to show that the country has grown up since 2009’s fraudulent election. That will hinge on the reduction of international observers and taming of extremist groups, Jawad said.

“If we don’t have transparent or fair elections, then a lot of the accomplishments of the past four years will be undermined,” he said.

He also called for the end of an era when foreign observers and troops take over towns after years of internal turmoil and imminent conflict.

“Afghan fighting and dying for Afghanistan should be done by Afghans,” he said.

Still, Jawad called out the lack of concern for Afghanistan in the U.S. presidential campaign, deeming the war an unpopular mission.

“Almost all of the foreign policy issues were left out,” he said. “Decisions about national security and any leader should not be based on the popularity of the subject.”

The event was hosted by the Afghan Student Association and Delta Phi Epsilon.

The Afghan Student Association held a school supplies drive outside the event for the Afghan Education Foundation, which has built two schools in Afghanistan.

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Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012 6:07 p.m.

World’s richest man to fund graduate scholarships

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Lauren Grady. 

Mexican business mogul Carlos Slim will fund five scholarships for GW’s graduate programs to bolster the academic success of students from his native country.

Carlos Slim, a Mexican telecommunications magnate, will fund five scholarships for graduate students. Photo courtesy of GW Media Relations

It’s the first time the University announced that Slim, a Mexican telecommunications magnate who has been the target of campus protests, has donated to GW.

Slim, worth an estimated $68.5 billion, will pay tuition for top Mexican prospective graduate students to study in the University’s advanced business, engineering or international affairs programs.

“The Carlos Slim Foundation Scholars program embodies Mr. Slim’s commitment to empowering Mexican youth through education,” University President Steven Knapp said in a release Wednesday.

University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard did not immediately return request for comment on the total sum of Slim’s gift.

Awardees, who will make up the first class of the Carlos Slim Foundation Scholars program, will be chosen based on academic success and leadership ability. Only 16 graduate students came to GW from Mexico last year.

The program will provide students with intensive leadership training and access to international and U.S. leaders. The University now is searching for an executive director for the program.

But Forbes also named him one of the biggest philanthropists last year, giving $4 billion to his charity Fundación Carlos Slim.

The University handed Slim an honorary degree at Commencement last May, which drew dozens of picketers to the National Mall to push back against his alleged monopoly power in the country.

In 2009, the University awarded Slim the President’s Medal, citing his philanthropy and leadership.

 

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Thursday, July 26, 2012 7:37 p.m.

Former student was groomed to become Russian spy

by Kierran Petersen

A former student whose parents were convicted of being Russian spies was being coached to follow their path.

Tim Foley, who was enrolled in the Elliott School of International Affairs until spring 2011, was on his way to being a U.S.-raised agent for a Russian spy ring, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. He had known about his parents’ double lives and had agreed to join them well before their arrest.

While he left the country that summer and was placed on a leave of absence in the fall of 2010, the former student was enrolled at GW until spring 2011, University spokeswoman Candace Smith said. Tim Foley’s parents made a donation of up to $499 to the University in 2009.

The son of spies under the names Donald Heathfield and Tracey Lee Ann Foley, two of the 10 individuals arrested in 2010, Tim Foley allegedly stood up, saluted “Mother Russia” and agreed to begin his training there.

Since his parents’ arrest, Tim Foley has attempted to regain entry to the U.S., but has been unsuccessful due to “unspecified obstacles”, according to the Journal. Tim Foley was not born in the U.S., but Americanized and English-fluent children could be seen as valuable and more smoothly pass through background checks.

His parents, Andrey Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova, lived as a married couple in Cambridge, Mass. under their assumed names. Their second child was 16 at the time of their arrest and attended high school at the private International School of Boston.

Peter Krupp, his father’s lawyer, told the Journal accounts that Tim Foley knew of the spy operations were “crap,” as it would be too risky for his parents to reveal their secret lives to even their own son. The spy ring, called the SVR, took over for the KGB.

The former student’s friends told The Hatchet at the time of his parents’ arrest that they doubted he knew of their double lives.

Only one of the group of agents’ children was permitted to remain in the U.S. after officials determined he was not a threat.

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Friday, March 30, 2012 5:11 p.m.

Diplomat, professor to headline Elliott School commencement

by Cory Weinberg

Graduates from the Elliott School of International Affairs will hear from a Middle East policy professor and leading diplomat at their May 18 commencement ceremony, the school announced this week.

Edward Gnehm, a former ambassador to Jordan, Kuwait and Australia, will speak the Elliott School of International Affairs' commencement ceremony. Photo courtesy of the Elliott School of International Affairs

Edward “Skip” Gnehm, Jr. who earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from GW in the 1960s, last served as the U.S. Ambassador to Jordan in 2004.

Gnehm, 67, joined the Elliott School faculty in 2004, and was tapped as a chaired professor in 2005 after a $3.3-million gift from the Kuwait Foundation. He has also served on the University’s Board of Trustees and is the director for the Middle East Policy Forum, an event series that brings scholars, journalists and policy makers to campus.

“Ambassador Gnehm is a highly regarded member of our faculty, specifically among our students,” Elliott School spokesman Nick Massella said.

He has also served as an ambassador to Kuwait and Australia, and last worked as an administrator at the State Department in 2000.

Gnehm was not immediately available to comment.

Last year, Lori Beth Garver, a deputy administrator of NASA, spoke at the commencement ceremony.

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Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 9:50 p.m.

Experts applaud Taiwanese presidential election

by The GW Hatchet

Michael Fonte, left, Suisheng Zhao, middle, and Emerson Niou, right, hailed Taiwan's recent election as a milestone in the country's democratic progress. Cecile Schilis-Gallego | Hatchet Photographer

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Cécile Schilis-Gallego.

Taiwan’s last election was “a joyful celebration of democracy,” a member of one of the country’s political parties said Wednesday at an event in the Elliott School of International Affairs.

Michael Fonte, a liaison for Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, said the 2012 presidential election – which saw a 74 percent voter turnout and a peaceful acceptance of its results by the losing party – overturned the idea that democracy contradicts Asian culture.

He said his party’s defeat to incumbent Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou might be due to the economic crisis and rising unemployment.

“They didn’t close the deal on the economy,” he said. “People could not grab on the specifics of their economic policies.”

For Suisheng Zhao, professor and director of the Center for China-US Cooperation at the University of Denver, the win by the incumbent president made Taiwan’s democracy appear non-chaotic.

“The Taiwan model will not have an immediate impact, but in the long-term China will have to follow all other East Asian countries,” Zhao said, adding that China’s authoritarian model is not sustainable.

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Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 6:42 p.m.

Egyptian author assesses country’s post-revolution challenges

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Josh Griffith.

Egyptian author and journalist Ashraf Khalil recounted last year’s 18-day “siege” of Tahrir Square and pushed for a strict anti-corruption campaign in the Arab Spring’s aftermath Friday night at the Elliott School of International Affairs.

Khalil spent nearly 15 years in the Middle East as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy magazine and The Times of London. He said he watched tension build until Egypt’s unrest became a full-fledged revolution that left the nation fragile and still shrouded in corruption.

“There is a distinct air of pessimism inside and outside Egypt,” he said at the event hosted by the Project on Middle East Political Science.

Ashraf Khalil discussed his new book, "Liberation Square: Inside the Egyptian Revolution and the Rebirth of a Nation," Friday night in an event sponsored by the Project on Middle East Political Science. Zach Krahmer | Hatchet Photographer

His book, called “Liberation Square: Inside the Egyptian Revolution and the Rebirth of a Nation” and published Jan. 3, offers a first-hand perspective on the uprising that he said has yet to stabilize the country.

Though the activist movement may have succeeded in removing former president Hosni Mubarak from power exactly one year ago, remnants of his regime persist in institutions like the Ministry of Interior, Khalil said.

He argued that public distrust in these institutions has been a roadblock to change. For example, he said, a riot that killed about 70 people during a soccer match 10 days ago demonstrates the lack of a legitimate security force.

There’s an economic downside to the destabilized country too, Kahlil added, saying that riots and protests deter tourism that brings in revenue necessary for the country’s growth.

Kahlil proposed a long-term “reprogramming” of the country in which trained civilians replace the corrupt officials who have climbed to power. An anti-corruption campaign that forces those politicians from office needs to take shape, he said, where “heads must roll on a massive scale.”

If progress stalls, protesters will have to return to Tahrir, he said.

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